Bed garment

ABSTRACT

A garment has a front side and a back side. The front side of the garment is located adjacent to the chest of the person when the garment is worn. The back side is located opposite from the front side. The front side includes a front flap, and the back side includes a rear flap. The rear flap is shorter in length than the front flap. The front side further includes a pocket member for storing objects. The garment also includes sleeve members, which may selectively open to allow access to the arm(s) and selectively close to form a sleeve. The front side of the garment also includes flap members which can open and close to allow access to the upper body portion of the wearer when open.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/689,946, filed Jun. 26, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a garment to be worn in health careenvironments like hospitals or skilled nursing care facilities. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a warm garment having a shorterrear flap than front flap, sleeves that can be opened and closed, openside portions, and various openable flaps for accessing portions of thebody frequently used during medical procedures and examinations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Often times, in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, patients arerequired to wear gowns that allow a doctor to easily examine the patientor otherwise perform a medical procedure on the patient. Such garmentsare often constructed of thin cotton that leaves a patient uncomfortableand cold. When such a thin garment is worn, a patient needs to usenumerous blankets (which typically are also thin) to try to make up forthe thinness of the gown. Such gowns also require complete or partialdisrobing in order for a doctor to place IV lines or access chest portsthat may be used during procedures involving chemotherapy and othertreatments.

The gowns typically used in hospitals or other medical facilities alsodo not include pockets in which personal belongings or other medicalinstruments and/or devices may be placed. Some garments include a singlepocket near the chest, but that pocket is limited in size and thus itsability to hold items.

Finally, such gowns in the prior art include excess, bulky material andoften get caught when a patient is lying in a bed. Those gowns do notallow for a range of motion for a patient and can cause a patient to“fight” against himself or herself to rise out of a bed or chair.

An improved garment to be worn by patients that is warmer, moreaccessible for doctors and other medical professionals, has increasedstorage, and allows for a greater range of motion for a patient whenworn is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A garment for the upper body or a bed garment described herein aims toimprove upon the shortcomings of previously existing bed gowns. Theimproved bed garment is preferably made of a warm material such as afleece, or in some embodiments, warm, breathable cotton. Near the neck,the bed jacket preferably includes a shawl/fold over neck to increasethe warmth of the garment.

The bed garment preferably has a back portion that is shorter than itsfront portion such that the patient does not sit on the back portion,thus acting as a hindrance to the patient's movement. The shorter backportion also does not act as a hindrance when the wearer uses therestroom. The back portion and front portion are preferably separatedfrom one another along the side portions of the garment below the sleeveportions to further increase the range of motion of a wearer. Havingopen sides as described preferably allows a medical professional such asa doctor or nurse to more easily access a patient's back, abdomen, ortrunk.

The sleeves in the improved bed garment are also preferably able to beopened and closed along the length of the sleeve for easy access. Whenthe sleeves are closed to form complete circular sleeves, portions ofthe sleeves may overlap, thus increasing warmth for the wearer. Thesleeve portions, which may be openable and closable by way of hook andloop fasteners, may also be adjusted for a personal, customized fit. Theoverlapping sleeves having the ability to be opened and closed may makesit easier for a medical professional such as a doctor or nurse to accessor introduce an IV line to the patient or otherwise access the patient.

At an upper portion of the front side of the garment, near the patient'schest, a flap member is preferably provided on either side of thegarment. The flap member is located on either side of the garment and ispreferably able to be opened so that a doctor or other medicalprofessional may access the wearer's chest. The ability to access thewearer's chest may be beneficial, for example, when a doctor or nurseneeds to access chemotherapy ports located on the wearer's chest. Theflap members may be opened and closed in one embodiment by use of hookand loop fasteners.

In one embodiment, the garment may be worn during radiation due to thelack of metal parts. In a preferred embodiment, a large, kangaroo-stylepocket is also preferably provided near a lower front portion of thegarment, where the wearer's abdomen is traditionally located. The wearermay store personal belongings and/or necessary medical instruments ordevices in the pocket, or may use the pocket as a location to place hisor her hands to warm them up when the garment is worn. Thus, the wearermay slide his or her hands into the pocket to warm them. More detailsregarding the bed garment are set forth below in the detaileddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made more particularly to the drawing, which illustratethe best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and whereinsimilar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout theview.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bed garment constructed according to theteachings of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Forexample, the invention is not limited in scope to the particular type ofindustry application depicted in the FIGURES. In other instances,well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been describedin detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numbers whereinlike numbers refer to like parts, FIG. 1 illustrates a bed garment 1constructed according to the teachings set forth below. As shown in FIG.1, the garment 1 may have a general sweater-like structure, and liketraditional garments, the garment 1 includes each of a front side 5 anda back side 10. As understood in the art, the front side 5 is designedto be worn adjacent a front side or chest of a wearer or patient, whilethe back side 10 is designed to be worn so that it abuts the rear sideor back of a patient or wearer. In other embodiments, the garment 1 maybe a jacket, coat, sweatshirt, or other type of garment for the upperbody portion of a person. Preferably, the garment 1, including its frontside 5 and back side 10, is constructed of a warm material like fleece.In some embodiments, it may be constructed of a different type of warmmaterial like breathable cotton.

A shawl or crossover style collar 15 is preferably provided where theneck of a wearer would be located when the garment 1 is donned. The foldover or shawl collar 15 may be similar to those seen and used onsweaters. At a location where the collar 15 folds over itself, anattachment point 20 is preferably provided. In a preferred embodiment,the attachment point 20 may be a hook and loop fastener type, though inalternative embodiments, the attachment point 20 may be a button andhole style attachment, a snap fastener, or a zipper. The ability to usethe attachment point 20 to attach the portion of the collar 15 where itoverlaps with itself may allow for a snugger and more comfortable fitfor a wearer. Furthermore, the attachment point 20 and itscrossover-style material may allow for increased warmth around the neckarea of a wearer.

The rear side 10 of the garment 1 preferably includes a rear flap 25that is shorter in length than a front flap 30 of the front side 5 ofthe garment 1. The rear flap 25, designed to cover a substantial portionof a wearer's back, is preferably shorter than the front flap 30 suchthat when a patient or wearer is wearing the garment 1, he or she doesnot sit on the rear flap 25. In other prior art gowns or jackets, therear portion or rear flap may be the same length as the front portion orfront flap. This can cause a wearer to sit on the rear flap and limithis or her motion when he or she sits on the flap. Moreover, a longerback portion creates excess bulk material and can get wedged between thewearer's back and his or her bed and/or chair. Thus, it is preferred inthe current invention that the rear flap 25 be shorter than the frontflap 30. Moreover, as shown and illustrated in FIG. 1, the front flap 30and the rear flap 25 are preferably separated from one another so that adoctor or nurse (or other medical professional) may more easily access apatient's abdomen, back, or trunk. In another embodiment, the front flap30 and the rear flap 25 may be selectively engageable with each otherfor added warmth. In embodiments where the front flap 30 and the rearflap 25 are selectively engageable, the front flap 30 and rear flap 25may preferably engage each other via hook and loop fasteners, snapfasteners, zippers, and other types of methods known in the art.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, and like other garments, the garment 1preferably includes sleeve members 35 through which a wearer's arms maybe placed when the garment 1 is worn. In a preferred embodiment, thesleeve members 35 may be opened and closed so that a nurse, doctor, orother medical professional may easily access the wearer's arms. Amedical professional may need to access a patient's arms in a number ofsituations, including the establishment of, or access to, an IV line.

In other words, the sleeve member 35 may include a slit 36 that extendslongitudinally along the sleeve member 35. The sleeve member 35 furtherincludes a first sleeve member side 37 and a second sleeve member side38 located and positioned on either side of the slit 36. Each sleevemember 35 has a first sleeve member position and a second sleeve memberposition. In the first sleeve member position, the first sleeve memberside 37 and second sleeve member side 38 are adjacent to and abut eachother to form a circular tube or sleeve. The sleeve member 35 istherefore closed or secured in the first position. In the second sleeveposition, the sleeve member 35 is open, and the first sleeve member side37 does not abut the second sleeve member side 38. The arm of the wearercan therefore more easily be accessed by a medical professional when thesleeve member is in its second position.

The sleeve members 35 may be opened and closed in a variety of manners,but in a preferred embodiment, the sleeves may be opened and closed byway of hooks 40 and loops 45 that together make for a hook and loopfastener. In alternative embodiments, the sleeve members 35 may beopened and closed using alternative fastening methods including zippers,buttons, snap fasteners, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, whenthe sleeve member 35 is closed in the first sleeve position as shown inthe right sleeve member 35, a portion 50 of the sleeve member 35overlaps with itself. The overlapping portion 50 preferably allows for awearer to adjust the sleeve members 35 to have a variety ofcircumferences so that the sleeve member 35 may snuggly fit a wearer.Increased personal fit by way of the overlap 50 of the sleeve members 35may improve the comfort and the warmth of a wearer.

Near an upper portion 53 of the garment 1, the garment 1 is preferablyprovided with flap members 55. The garment 1 may include at least oneflap member 55. In one embodiment, there are preferably two flap members55. The flap members 55 are preferably embodied as rectangularly shapedmembers that may be opened so as to access the chest area of a wearer.The flaps member 55 may be other shapes in alternative embodiments. Theflap members 55 may include a first flap end 57 and a second flap end58. The first flap end 57 selectively engages the garment 1 in a firstflap position, where the flap member 55 is closed. The first flap end 57engages the garment 1, and allows the second flap end 58 to pivot at thefirst flap end 57.

In a second flap position, the first flap end 57 pivots at the secondflap end 58, and the first flap end 57 does not engage with the garment1. Thus, in the second flap position, the flap member 55 is open, and amedical professional may more easily access the wearer's body. However,in alternative embodiments, the first flap end 57 and the second flapend 58 may be reversed, allowing the second flap end 58 to selectivelyengage the garment 1.

The flap members 55 are preferably located on either side of the collar15 near locations that may be frequently needed to be accessed by amedical professional. The first flap end 57 may selectively engage or bedisengaged from the garment 1, so that the medical professional canreach through the garment to the area underneath the flap member 55. Ina preferred embodiment, the flap members 55 may be opened and closed viahooks 60 and loops 65 to create a hook and loop type fastener. In otherembodiments, the flap members 55 may be opened or closed through snapfasteners, conventional buttons, or other mechanisms known in the art.When a medical professional or other person would like to access awearer's chest at the location of either of the flap members 55, he orshe simply may pull the flap member 55 at the first flap end 57outwardly such that the hooks 60 detach from the loops 65. A healthcareprofessional may then access the wearer's chest, for example toadminister chemotherapy treatment to a port located on the wearer'schest. While the garment 1 may include at least one flap member 55, thegarment 1 may include two flap members 55, or more or fewer flap members55 in other embodiments.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the front side 5 and front flap30 of the garment 1 preferably includes a pocket member 70. The pocketmember 70 may be used to store various items therein including personalbelongings such as lip balm or lotion and/or medical supplies that maybe used by a healthcare professional. In one embodiment, the pocketmember 70 may include an opening only at its upper portion, and in otherembodiments, it may include openings only at its side portions. As such,it may act as a “kangaroo style” pocket or a pocket that issubstantially similar to those found on hooded sweatshirts. In thelatter embodiment, the pocket 70 may be used to further warm the handsof a patient that is wearing the garment 1.

In another embodiment, the garment 1 may further include at least onepocket section 75. The pocket section 75 may be a conventional pocket,also capable of holding personal items or medical supplies. The at leastone pocket section 75 may be located and positioned adjacent and on topof or over the pocket member 70. However, in yet another embodiment, thepocket section 75 may be located in other places on the garment 1.

As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of thepresent invention is not limited by the particular details of theexamples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that othermodifications, applications, variations, or equivalents thereof, willoccur to those skilled in the art. Many such changes, modifications,variations and other uses and applications of the present constructionswill, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art afterconsidering the specification and the accompanying drawing. All suchchanges, modifications, variations and other uses in applications whichdo not depart from the spirit and scope of the present inventions aredeemed to be covered by the inventions.

1. A garment for an upper portion of a human body comprising: a frontside and a back side, the front side of the garment including a frontflap, the back side of the garment including a rear flap, the rear flapbeing shorter in length than the front flap; and at least one sleevemember capable of being opened and closed.
 2. The garment of claim 1wherein the garment further includes at least one flap member integrallyformed in the garment that may be opened or closed to access the upperportion of the human body.
 3. The garment of claim 2 wherein the garmentincludes two flap members.
 4. The garment of claim 2 wherein the atleast one flap member selectively engages the garment to be one of openand closed through hook and loop fasteners.
 5. The garment of claim 1wherein a first sleeve member side of the at least one sleeve memberselectively engages a second sleeve member side of the at least onesleeve member via a hook and loop fastener.
 6. The garment of claim 1wherein a first sleeve member side of the at least one sleeve memberselectively engages a second sleeve member side of the at least onesleeve member through at least one snap fastener.
 7. The garment ofclaim 1 wherein the garment includes an attachment point near a collarof the garment to provide a snugger fit for the collar.
 8. A garment foran upper portion of a human body comprising: a front side including afront flap; a back side including a rear flap, wherein the front flap isgreater in length than the rear flap; and at least one flap memberpositioned and located on the front side of the garment that may beselectively opened and closed to provide access to the upper portion ofthe human body.
 9. The garment of claim 8 wherein the garment includesat least one sleeve member.
 10. The garment of claim 9 wherein a firstsleeve member side of the at least one sleeve member and a second sleevemember side of the at least one sleeve member may selectively engageeach other via a hook and loop fastener.
 11. The garment of claim 9wherein a first sleeve member side of the at least one sleeve member anda second sleeve member side of the at least one sleeve member mayselectively engage each other via at least one snap fastener.
 12. Thegarment of claim 8 wherein the at least one flap member is integrallyformed from the garment.
 13. The garment of claim 8 wherein the at leastone flap member selectively engages the garment via a hook and loopfastener.
 14. The garment of claim 8 wherein the front side of thegarment includes at least one pocket member.
 15. A garment for an upperportion of a human body comprising: a front side and a back side; atleast one sleeve member, each sleeve member having a first sleeve memberposition and a second sleeve member position, wherein the at least onesleeve member is closed in the first position, and wherein the at leastone sleeve member is open in the second position; and at least one flapmember positioned and located on at least one of the front side of thegarment and the back side of the garment, each at least one flap memberhaving a first flap end and a second flap end, each at least one flapmember having a first flap member position and a second flap position,and wherein the first flap end selectively engages the garment in thefirst flap position, and wherein the first flap end does not engage thegarment in the second flap position.
 16. The garment of claim 15 whereinthe rear side is shorter than the front side.
 17. The garment of claim15 wherein the front side of the garment includes a pocket member forstoring items.
 18. The garment of claim 15 wherein the garment includesan attachment point near a collar of the garment to provide a snuggerfit for the collar.
 19. The garment of claim 15 wherein the first flapend selectively engages the garment via a hook and loop fastener. 20.The garment of claim 15 wherein the at least one sleeve member isselectively closed via a hook and loop fastener.